8 smart and sassy crime fiction writers dish on writing and life.
It's The View. With bodies.

Saturday, July 16, 2011

JAN BURKE VISITS JUNGLE REDS

RHYS: Jan Burke was supposed to be my Wednesday guest, but alas, various factors, including my disappearing internet, did not cooperate, so I'm giving her the whole weekend to shine.

So welcome to JRW Jan.I was at ALA and saw great piles of the new Jan Burke book DISTURBANCE, Obviously Simon and Shuster are excited about this and when I eard that it was a follow up to Bones, I was too.So tell a little about the new book, Jan:

JAN:Disturbance is essentially a sequel to Bones. If you haven't readBones, don't worry — Disturbance's plot is separate. It won't spoilBones for you, and you don't need to have read Bones to know what'sgoing on in Disturbance. But if you are someone who like to read aseries in order, you may want to read Bones first.

In Disturbance, Nicholas Parrish, the serial killer who pursued Irenein Bones, has recovered from injuries he sustained when she escapedhim. Although others remind Irene that he's in prison, she isn't muchcomforted by that — he has a group of supporters who call themselvesthe Moths and they threaten revenge on his behalf. She is unnerved byan increasingly disturbing series of events, events that she sees asthe Moths' way of letting her know they can reach her.

Disturbance is also about reinvention. In addition to her problemswith Parrish and the Moths, Irene has other troubles. The Express,the newspaper where she has worked for most of her adult life is onthe verge of closing. Irene, who has identified herself with theExpress and newspaper reporting on a bone-deep level, may soon beforced to say goodbye not just to a job, but work that brought meaningto her life and provided her with an extended family.

RHYS. Was Irene Kelly an alter ego when the series started? Is she still?

JAN: No, never. I imagine her as a completely separate individual, one withwhom I enjoy spending time.

RHYS:You write about very dark subjects, darker than most women writers.How do you handle the darkness? I know I once had to murder a child ina book and in the end I couldn't do it. Have you learned to distanceyourself from your subjectmatter? Or are you just super tough?

JAN:You are determined that I won't get to demonstrate how funny I am,aren't you? Okay seriously, then --

First, for anyone who may wonder if I inspired your example, I shouldquickly point out that there are no dead children in Disturbance.

It's interesting to me that you say I write about very dark subjects,because I don't view my books as especially dark. Irene is not adepressed and brooding loner detective — unlike at least a dozenothers who quickly come to mind — and although she has to strugglewith understandable fears, she is ultimately resilient, an optimistwith a sense of humor and strong loyalties. I see most of my books ashaving themes related to hope, justice, and forgiveness.

All of that said, like 99% of writers of crime fiction, I do writeabout violence. The smaller subset of writers I belong to are thosewho write about the emotional impact of violence, and sometimes, thatis difficult.

It has been extremely important to me, though, even from the time Iwrote my first novel, to not emotionally distance the characters in mybooks from the crimes that take place in them. In Goodnight, Irene,it was important to me that she grieve the loss of O'Connor, ratherthan merely set out to avenge him. Again, she's doesn't spend thebook crying in a corner, but you come to know O'Connor because shemisses him so much. Many books later, in Disturbance, although she'smoved on with her life, she still misses him.

By the time I started the second book, I was concerned about howseldom I saw any representation of the emotional impact of violence onprotagonists. They'd get the hell beaten out of them, and then they'djust knock back a shot of whiskey and go out after their attackers.They were about as emotionally affected by the beating as someone whohad nicked himself shaving. But in real life, if you or anyone youknow has been attacked, you know the cuts and bruises heal relativelyquickly — it's your state of mind that is never the same. Yourability to feel safe — more important to many of us than we realize —is altered forever. Some would say the tough guy shows us how acourageous man acts. But to me, the kind of courage that is moreinteresting is the kind we see in so-called ordinary people. Peoplewho may need every ounce of courage they have just to step outside thefront door, but they do it. They feel afraid, but act anyway.

While my research on those who are violent has caused its share of mynightmares, I suppose it is the example of courage and persistence inthe face of adversity that I've found in survivors and in those whoare working in law enforcement, criminal justice, and forensic sciencethat allows me to feel hopeful.

Oh I should add -- I'm not super tough. I probably cry more easilythan anyone you know. Do not whistle the theme to Lassie if I amwithin earshot.

RHYS: We're going to be seeing each other in a couple of weeks at the BookPassage Mystery Conference. Can you tell us a little about that?What will you be teaching?

JAN:I first attended this wonderful conference as a keynote speaker, backwhen Judy Greber and the late Marilyn Wallace were organizing it. Ilove Book Passage, one of the Most Wonderful Bookstores on Earth, andhope those of you who are not interested in writing conferences willstill take the time to browse its Website.

For those of you who are interested, you can't pick a betterconference. (Sign up soon, the conference is limited in size.) Whydo I like this conference so much? Part of it is the Book Passageitself — while some bookstores do little more than temporarily housewriters' books, Book Passage has become a kind of home place forwriters and books. This store has a strong relationship with itscommunity, and also with its community of writers. That means theycan put together conferences with faculty members such as DanielSilva, John Lescroat, Rhys Bowen, Jacqueline Winspear, Gregg Hurwitz,Martin Cruz Smith, and many others. They bring in experts, agents,and editors. They give attendees the opportunity to have manuscriptconsultations. And its all in beautiful Corte Madera, across theGolden Gate Bridge from San Francisco.

That would all be enough for most folks, but I should add that theBook Passage goes out of its way to ensure that the first concern ofthe faculty is to teach. That may sound obvious to anyone who hasn'tbeen to a conference that was full of authors who do little more thanpitch their own wares.

As for what I'll be teaching -- I'm in a conversation with JodiCompton, and we'll be talking about our research styles and othergeneral topics. I'm also doing an advanced session with TonyBroadbent on Developing Character and Dialogue.

RHYS: What's next? Do you enjoy Irene books more than standalones or theother way around?

JAN: I've decided that I'm not going to say much about the next one yet.I've found I can talk myself out of manuscripts if I talk too muchabout them while they are in progress.I enjoy standalone and series books equally -- each has its ownchallenges and rewards.

RHYS: You've recently started an experiment called "Spoilerville." Whatis Spoilerville? Why did you start it?

JAN: Spoilerville ( http://spoilerville.com ) is a place where readers whohave already read a book can comment on it or ask questions ofparticipating authors and feel free to give away plot -- you visitSpoilerville *after* reading a book. For those of us who have wantedto let an author know how much we liked a certain twist, or had aquestion about something we read, or wanted to make a comment thatmight get us lynched on a list or blog, Spoilerville is your new safehaven!

Many writers get a lot of wonderful blog comments and good questionsfrom enthusiastic readers who -- if the post goes through --unintentionally give away parts of the plot. Websites, Facebook,author blogs, and email discussion lists are places where those whohaven't had a chance to read a book might have things spoiled for themby such comments. Spoilerville is essentially marked by its name witha giant spoiler alert -- it's a place where our readers will be ableto meet and discuss books they've finished reading, and askplot-specific questions in an environment where those who haven't yetread the book are not be likely to accidently see them.

Books are on Spoilerville because authors are willing to place themthere -- I'm happy to see you're willing to be one of the pioneersthere, Rhys! I hope your readers will visit Spoilerville! I think wecan have some fun there.

RHYS: Thank you so much for taking the time to visit us, Jan. I know your readers will be lining up for the new book. See you next week!Photo by Sheri McKinley Photography.

17 comments:

I love that Jan talks so much about the emotional aspects of her work. Guess that's what most mystery readers (70-80% female?) like best. Besides the accurate portrayal of newspapers, though, I most enjoy the well-done, meticulous plots. Looking forward to DELIVERANCE.

Side note: Since this JR is always commenting first, I need a shot of WRITE FIRST. I vote for another round soon.

Hello Jan...how is it that we've never met?? Like Deb I'm so jealous that you, R and H will be at Book Passage for the mystery conference..one day I'll get to go!And I'm with you Jack...I need a shot of Write First. these days it's been Garden First.

Hi Jan, I love all your Irene books except Bones. It's too scary for me. but I'll buy Disturbance and see if I can hack it and still get to sleep at night. If not, I can always give it to a library. I know you have many faithful readers there. I love your humor and Irene's caring and resilient nature. Maybe I'll get to see you again one of these days! Cheers, Eleanor Newhard

I've just learned a lesson--NEVER post anything when stressed and my head is not quite there. I called Jan's book Deliverance--see, I knew it would be scary--and feel like a fool.Luckily Jan's fans know what it's called.And now I've corrected my mistake.So sorry, Jan

Thank you for sharing both your insights and your talent. I love Irene and I adore Frank...I think you are a wizard with characterization, where even the least-important players are clear and memorable. Your plots are outstanding, as well, but probably what I appreciate most is how much *heart* your stories have. You're so gifted, Jan, and so generous to let us enjoy those gifts. Thank you!

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